Power In Love
by Alicia T
Summary: Xena grows up under Ares' guidance...X/A eventually...
1. Gifted

**Gifted**

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Rating: G

Summary: The God Of War receives a gift from a loyal follower...

Disclaimer: There's no way in Tartarus I own them Baby!

Notes: Discord is dead and another God has yet to take her title...

Notes: This is the first story in the series...

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He stood next to the tiny crib that cradled the most recent addition to his family. Bitter disappointment threatened to chock him. A _girl_. He couldn't believe it. His son was enough of a let down, so much like his mother, was he, but this...daughter...was something else.

At the age of six winters, his son was a pacifist, preferring to play girl-child's games as opposed to the fights and scuffles of other boys his age. From his loins, he had produced nothing of any worth to gift his god, no one to pass on his army, his teachings...his legacy.

There was only one thing to do if he was to stay in the good graces of his god.

He picked the child up out of her crib and mounted his horse in the direction of Ares' nearest temple.

*~*~*~*

He entered the temple when the moon was high, taking his daughter, barely one winter old, with him. He placed the bundle on the alter, then looked down upon her sleeping face. His hand slowly moved to the jeweled dagger attached to his belt, removing it from its sheath. Clasping the dagger in both hands, he held it high above his head, then swung it downward, the cool, metal tip aimed at her tiny heart.

Eyes closed, he felt the impact of the weapon enter the child's body. Without opening his eyes, he turned away, leaving the dagger embedded in its victim.

Atrius only opened his eyes once he had exited the temple of the great god Ares. "Accept my blood sacrifice, my Lord Ares..."

The warrior failed to see the cooked chicken on the alter where his daughter had laid, a dagger protruding from its breast, the child, nowhere to be seen...

*~*~*~*

Ares was seated upon his throne in the hidden chamber of his temple. His priests and priestesses were all elsewhere, attending to their numerous duties, while Ares sat there, pondering the child he held in his arms.

He knew when someone made a sacrifice in his name, even before they had actually completed it. But this time, he had spied one of his more loyal followers about to sacrifice his only daughter to his god. One look at the tiny, sleeping child rocked him to the core. Fortunately, Atrius had closed his eyes to the deed, leaving Ares a clear path to the child.

Everything would be alright as long as the warrior failed to realize that his child was alive. To refuse a gift of that magnitude was an insult of the highest order when it proved a person's loyalty and was almost never done. But Ares couldn't let that baby die...

He wasn't sure what had possessed him to save her. All he had known was that she was special. 

Ares gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. Her tiny hand moved and she yawned as her eyes opened. He nearly jerked in surprise as he gazed into her eyes. They were the most icy, but soulful blue he had ever seen in all of his thousands of years. She grasped his thumb in her chubby hand, bringing it to her mouth for closer inspection...

He chuckled, "Oh, no you don't, sweetling. That finger is mine. I don't care how toothlessly adorable you are..." 

She giggled as he took back his thumb. Ares held her up to his face. The baby's hand reached out and touched his nose, then his mouth. The god opened his mouth, as if to nibble her fingers, but she jerked back her hand and shrieked with laughter.

Ares laughed along with her. "You're a smart little thing, aren't you, sweetling?"

She just blew him raspberries and patted his cheek.

"I think that I'll call you Xena..." he smiled.

She would forever be his. The only thing in his miserable life that he truly cared for. He was the outsider of Olympus. Sometimes he was lonely, but now he had his precious Xena to contend with for at least the rest of her mortal life...

The End

AN: Yeah, okay, I know that her name was originally Xena, but I like her name and the way I'm writing the story, no one can know that she was Atrius' and Cyrene's daughter...


	2. Reasons

**Reasons**

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Rating: PG

Timeline: Immediately following 'Gifted'...

Summary: Hestia has something to say...

Disclaimer: There's no way in Tartarus that I own them... 

Dedication: Thanks to everyone who gave me a hand with Hestia's background...

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Ares rose from his throne and exited the main room. With quick, confidant steps, he carried the precious bundle to his personal room. 

_Xena..._

She was such a darling girl. The god cradled her in his strong arms for a moment before kneeling onto the large bed near the far wall of the room and placing the child amongst the mountain of pillows.

The child shielded the intense blue of her eyes in shock, as she sank between the soft cushions, then squealed in delight as the tasels on the pillows caught her attention. Ares chuckled at the picture she made.

Baby Xena frowned in annoyance as one of her tiny fingers became caught in one of the tassels, and she tugged on it in an attempt to free her finger. Ares' chuckles abruptly ceased as the pillow was flung to the other side of the room, a good fifteen feet.

He picked the child up and held her close, gazing deep into her luminous blue eyes. "I don't think that you're supposed to be able to do that, sweet..."

She just stared up at him, then she opened her little mouth and gave a great big yawn. "Sleep..." Ares whispered.

Xena contemplated him for another few moments, before resting her head on his shoulder and doing just that...

*~*~*~*

The feeling of another god entering his temple awoke him. Ares was laying on his side, facing the still-sleeping child. He had fallen asleep watching her, trying to decide what to do...

"Ares..." came the gentle, feminine voice from behind him.

He turned over, but immediately wished he hadn't...

_Hestia..._

Ares groaned, "What do you want, Hestia?"

"I saw what you did, nephew, but her mother is one of my most loyal followers. She has asked for my help. She did not yet know that it was her own husband that took the child," the goddess reasoned.

Ares face fell at the mention of Xena's mother. He liked Hestia, he really did. She was one of the few gods that didn't ridicule and put down his rule. Usually, if Hestia asked something of you, you did it.

_But not this time..._

Something occurred to Ares. "Does she know now?" he asked, referring to Xena's supposed death.

The Goddess of Home and Hearth focused for a second, then sighed sadly. "Yes. Her husband has returned and has told her what he thinks he has done. Cyrene has taken it well. She mourns for her daughter and worries for her son."

A glimmer of hope entered the God Of War's eyes. "What if I offer you a deal, Hestia? Could we come to some sort of agreement? Please?" 

The last word was barely audible. The goddess regarded her nephew with surprise and a hint of pride. As a young boy, Ares had been a loner, but he had always been sweet and good natured to those who had taken the time to get to know him. She had despaired of him ever regaining his heart as he became older and more involved as War.

But now...it seemed as if he had finally learned to truly care about someone other than himself. She had been watching Ares interact with the child since he had saved her from certain death, and had been greatly impressed with his immediate bond with her.

_It would be a shame to deprive either of them that bond..._

Hestia smiled gently at her nephew. "It all depends on what you would do with her, Ares. And how much you care for her..."

The goddess walked around to the other side of the bed. Ares followed her movement by turning back over, thus placing the sleeping child in his view. He couldn't help reaching out his hand and stroking her smooth cheek. In such little time, this tiny bundle of mortal had worked her way into his hardened heart.

"I care for her a great deal, Aunt Hestia," he murmured. Once again, the goddess was surprised. He never called his family by their titles such as Aunt or Uncle, just their names...

Ares sucked in a breath. _He we go..._he thought to himself. Time to lay down the terms. He had the strangest urge to cross his fingers...

If I swear in Zeus' name never to allow or accept any more of this Cyrene's children, the son she has now and any other children in the future, into my army or in my name, will you allow me to keep and raise this child..." he stated.

"My Xena..." he whispered to himself.

"Your worshipper has already lost her daughter to her husband's strange fealty, I'm suggesting that maybe she would feel even more grief if she has Xena back and then has to choose between her daughter's life, and a life with her husband, son and any future children..." he reasoned, still wary of his brief display of tenderness.

It certainly was a rarity to see the God Of War show such a display. Hestia smiled to herself. She leant over and bestowed a kiss on her nephew's forehead, then gently ran her finger tips over the child's cheek.

The goddess kissed the tips of two of her fingers, then touched them to Xena's forehead. Looking at the two of them, she whispered, "You have my blessing, and my discretion..."

Then she took her leave in typical godly fashion, leaving behind only the smell of fresh flowers.

It was then that the child in question awoke, whimpering at her empty stomach. Xena rolled herself over, not an easy task for someone less than one summer old, then sat herself on her little bottom and stared up at Ares as if to say, 'What? You're the parent, get me what I need'.

She flashed him a toothless grin when he got up and moved to take her with him.

_I think I'm going to like this parent business..._he thought.

The End


	3. One Of A Kind

**One Of A Kind**

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Rating: G

Timeline: Immediately after 'Reasons'...

Summary: Ares makes some decisions...

Disclaimer: There's no way in Tartarus that I own them...

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Ares sat in his throne, with baby Xena happily drinking her evening meal in his arms. He thought about Hestia's final words to him. 

_Discretion..._

Many of the other gods despised him. If they ever found out just how much this child meant to him, she could become a target, although, most of the other gods were reluctant to harm a child, it didn't account for all of them.

It would be better for them to think that she was one of them, but the only way to do that, was to make her a god. The only problem was that Ares didn't want to put her in any danger, and making her into a god could be dangerous...

It was common knowledge that a mortal consuming Ambrosia was rumored to make them a god, but in all of his millennia, no other god had dared feed the food to a mortal, fearing that it would upset some universal balance.

What they really meant by that, was they feared what any mortal would become when the greed and lust for power overcame them.

But if the Ambrosia did indeed grant Xena godhood, then the gods would feel her life force, would know that she was a god, and would come under Zeus' 'never kill another god' rule. He had to do it soon, though, otherwise Xena would grow, thus disputing his claim of Xena being born a god.

There was only one way to make sure that the food would do it's job, and that was to try it. He couldn't wait any longer...

As quickly as the thought formed, they milky white liquid that filled Xena's bottle disappeared, watery, red liquid taking its place. She could hardly eat it in solid form.

Ares swept the tiny black lock of hair out of her eyes while watching her drink the Ambrosia. "Hey, sweetling, we'll soon see what you're made of...I bet you're going to grow up beautiful and strong..."

The god was struck by a sudden thought. He smiled, "Well, why don't we have a look, hmm?" With a flick of his wrist, a mirror appeared before them. "What do you think? Ten years from now?" he asked the soon-to-be goddess.

Bubbles formed in the bottle as she stopped her suckling. 

"I'll take that as a 'whatever'."

Almost as soon as the last word was spoken, an image began to form in the mirror. A young girl, with long, straight, black hair and piercing blue eyes was climbing a tall tree near one of Ares' temples.

Ares saw himself standing at the bottom of the tree. "Xena, you come down from that tree!"

The girl jutted her chin and rose a delicate eyebrow. "Give me one good reason why I should."

His future self sighed. "You might hurt yourself."

Xena shot him a look that said, 'Oh, please, you can do _sooo_ much better than that...' "I haven't had so much as a scratch for as long as I can remember. Don't worry, you'll do better next time!" she yelled down at him happily.

The god disappeared, then reappeared by Xena's side near the top of the tree. The girl just stared up at him, a pout lingering on her mouth. She kept her wide, blue eyes on his face, gauging his reaction to her obvious 'puppy dog' look.

He gave in. "Oh, alright. But if you fall, sweet..."

"You'll be there to catch me!" she interjected mischievously.

Ares hung his head in defeat, a smile playing on his lips. "What am I gonna do with you...?"

The pre-teen just grinned.

The future image of himself and Xena faded, then the mirror disappeared. Ares looked down at the now-sleeping baby goddess in his arms. He transported them to his chamber, laying himself and Xena on the bed. Just before he fell asleep, he whispered to the slumbering child, "You're going to be a handful alright...definitely one of a kind, sweet."

The End


	4. First Impressions

**First Impressions**

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Rating: G

Summary: The gods of Olympus get their first glimpse of Xena...

Disclaimer: There's no way in Tartarus that I own them...


	5. Chosen

**Chosen**

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Rating: G

Timeline: It's been one year since Xena moved in...

Summary: It's time for baby goddess Xena to find her title...

Disclaimer: There's no way in Tartarus that I own them, Baby!

Notes: Xena is roughly 2 years old...


	6. Playtime

**Playtime**

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Rating: G

Summary: Just a typical afternoon with Ares and Xena...

Disclaimer: There's no way in Tartarus that I own them, Baby!


	7. Lessons

**Lessons**

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Rating: G

Timeline: Xena is about five years old.

Summary: Xena gets mistaken for a mortal child up to mischief...

Disclaimer: There's no way in Tartarus that I own them, Baby!


	8. Playmates

Playmates

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Rating: G

Summary: Xena finds someone to play with...

Disclaimer: There's no way in Tartarus that I own them, Baby!

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Xena was bored. She was sick of all of Ares' priests and priestess'. All they did all day was gossip and clean. They even ignored the people who came into the temple to worship Ares. That was something that Xena really didn't like, though.

Not that she was going to do anything about it, because Ares didn't really care about the people that worshipped him, not unless they were important, like warlords and warriors.

So Xena decided to play the 'escapee' and transported herself out of the temple.

Being the mischievous little imp that Ares saw her as, Xena played a little trick on the first person she came across. She materialized on a road, still unseen to the mortal eye. Xena saw a young man up ahead, riding in a cart, with some sacks in the back.

With a giggle, Xena watched as one of the wheels on the cart fell off. The young man sighed as he put the reigns aside, then got down from the cart. The little goddess stood by as he managed to put the wheel back on. The man paused to wipe some sweat from his face...

Xena moved about ten paces in front of the horse, and made it so that only the horse could see her. She made a piece of an apple appear in her hand and called to the horse. Just as the man put his hands on the cart, to get back in, the horse moved forward to Xena, and began eating the piece of apple out of her hand.

The man shook his head in confusion. The horse finished the apple piece just as the man started toward the horse. Xena made herself move up the road yet another ten paces with another piece of apple, and once again, called the horse.

The man had caught up to the horse just as it moved forward to Xena again...

The Goddess Of Discord soon became bored with the game and disappeared, leaving an apple for the horse as she left.

*~*~*

Xena reappeared in a town called Corinth.

There were lots of animals around in the market, and lots of stalls with pretty things for sale. It was the stall with weapons and a few animals that caught her eye. Still unable to be seen, she picked up dagger and threw it at the wall behind the mortal that stood on the other side of the display table.

She collapsed into a fit of giggles as the man stood completely still, frozen as daggers flew at him. He collapsed in a faint. Xena admired her handiwork. The crooked line of daggers looked _just like_ the man's outline...

Next, Xena went over to the stall with the chickens. She saw the woman who was looking after the stall yelling at the chickens because of the noise. A twinkle entered Xena's icy blue eyes as she pulled the catch on the five cages and forced the fifteen fowl out.

The last thing she saw of the woman, she was running around the market, trying to catch her chickens...

Later on, Xena noticed a small boy at the edge of town. He was watching the other children play with a ball, but the other children were all ignoring him. It looked to Xena that the other children didn't want to play with him.

Xena materialized behind him. She tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped, then turned around to face her. "Hello," she greeted brightly.

"Hi," he said, suspiciously.

It wasn't until she really looked at him, that she noticed that he was older than her by a couple of years. "Do you wanna play with me?" she asked, as she pulled a ball from behind her.

"I'm not supposed to play in town, my Mom says," he told her.

She shrugged. "We can go to your place. My friends won't mind." She took his hand and started running. "Come _on!_"

*~*~*

They made it to his place in a couple of minutes. After the shock had worn off, he ran in front of her, laughing the whole way. _He's kinda cute..._Xena's five-year-old mind thought.

When they got in his yard, Xena kicked him the ball, and laughed when she kicked it a little too hard, hitting him in the chest and knocking him on his ass. "Oops! Sorry!"

He got up and dusted himself off. "That's okay, I'm tougher than I look..."

After about half an hour, the boy's mother came out of the house with some milk for them. "Hello, dear." She turned to her son. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

The boy blushed. "Umm...this is my Mom...and umm..."

Xena giggled and stuck out her hand for a handshake. "I'm Xena!"

The woman gave her son a reproachful look as she introduced herself. "I'm Alcmene, and this is my son, Hercules."

Xena smiled at her. "Can I come back and play again?" she asked.

Alcmene looked worried. "Won't your parents be worried?"

Xena bit her lip. "I don't have any, but I have a guardian, and he's pretty cool. He let's me do anything, 'on the stipulation that it won't hurt me'..." she quoted.

"Oh, I'm sorry about your parents, Xena. Well, if your guardian says it's-" she broke off as someone appeared behind Xena.

She turned around to face the person as Hercules glared at the figure behind her. Xena gave an exaggerated gulp when she saw Zeus standing there. "Oh-oh...I'm in trouble, aren't I?" she murmured to herself.

Zeus quickly recognized her. "Young lady, _what_ are you doing here?"

Xena stuck out her bottom lip and put her hands on her hips, adopting an attitude. "Well, what are _you _doing here?"

Zeus held back a small smile at the girl's attitude. She was still the most adorable thing on Olympus... "I'm visiting my son, Xena..."

She looked around for Ares... "Huh?" She looked confused when she didn't see him.

Zeus resisted the urge to grin. "Shouldn't you be back at the temple?"

The young goddess pouted. "But it's so _boring!_ I wanted to play with somebody, and I found Hercules, so we played with a ball for a while." She looked down at her feet, her mouth trembling, attempting to get out any punishment.

"Hercules _is_ my son, Xena," he told her gently.

The child brightened. "Really??? So I can come back and play?"

Zeus looked at Hercules and Alcmene, before turning to Xena. "It's not up to me," he told her sadly.

"It's alright with me," Alcmene said gently.

The King Of The Gods sighed. "It's not either of you I'm worried about. Xena's guardian isn't going to like this..."

Hercules stood in front of Xena. "She's my friend now! Why can't she come back?" he said bravely.

"Her guardian _really_ doesn't like you, Hercules..." he told his son.

Hercules looked at his father. "You're the King, you can tell 'em to get lost!"

Suddenly, the sky turned dark, and the sound of war drums could be heard all over Greece. Zeus grumbled as Xena started kicking the dirt in front of her.

"I'm _sooooo_ dead..." she whimpered.

The God Of War appeared behind Zeus. "Xena..."

The child ran up to him and hugged his legs. "I'm sorry, Ares, but I was just so bored...and then I went and played with this horse, then messed around in the market, then I played with Hercules, and now Zeus says you won't let me stay, and I want to come back, Ares..._plllleeeeeaaaaasssssseeeeee??????????_" It was entertaining to see the young goddess holding onto Ares' legs for dear life, while forcing her speech out in a single breath.

Ares picked her up and brought her to eye level. "I don't like him." Xena pouted. "He's not good enough for you..." Her lower lip trembled. "He's half mortal..." A single tear escaped her watery, ice blue eyes. "He's my bastard half-brother..." A small sob escaped her throat.

Ares groaned as he brought her close and hugged her tight, rubbing her small back tenderly. "Okay, you can come back tomorrow and play with him..."

The sob, tears, and pouty lips all disappeared as she grinned and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. "Yay! Thank you, Ares!" she squealed, before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Love you, Ares..." she whispered.

He smiled to himself. "Love you too, munchkin."

Xena turned to Zeus and winked. Everyone but Ares saw this and held back a laugh. The God Of War put his charge down and glared at Hercules. "If anything happens to her, I'll come back here and personally tear you apart, half-brother or not. Understand?"

Hercules gulped and nodded.

"Ares..." Zeus' voice rumbled in warning.

He turned to his father. "Never mess with me when it comes to Xena, old man..." Ares issued his own warning. "Come on, sweet," he said to Xena, holding out his hand.

She waved goodbye to her new friend and his mother, then to Zeus, before grabbing Ares' hand and disappearing with him in a flash of blue light...

The End


	9. Come On Over

Come On Over

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Rating: G

Summary: Xena invites Hercules over to play...

Disclaimer: There's no way in Tartarus that I own them, Baby!

Notes: Okay, I know they didn't actually have springs and things back then, but if they can have bras and stuff, then I can have bouncy beds! hehehe

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Xena stood in front of Alcmene, looking up at her with a hopeful expression. Ares was off tending a war in Cyrra that he wanted to encourage, so Xena had been left in the temple on her own. So naturally, Xena had transported herself to Hercules' place to ask if he could play...

Alcmene shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Xena, but I need to go to the market today, and I don't want to leave you and Hercules by yourself, just in case something happens."

Xena's shoulders fell, a sad expression replacing her earlier one. After a short pause, she brightened. "Hercules can come with me! We can play in my room at the temple. The priestess' are there, but they won't bother us, but they're there if we need them..."

Alcmene smiled at the tiny goddess that stood before her. She couldn't resist the little girl. "Okay, Xena, but there will be ground rules." Xena nodded. "Number one, no leaving your room unless you have to. Number two, neither of you is to go anywhere near the weapons when my son is there."

Xena butted in. "But Ares lets me-"

One look from Alcmene shut her up. "Yes, ma'am."

Alcmene smiled, then called for her son. Apparently, Hercules had been eavesdropping, because his face appeared in the doorway almost immediately and he grinned. "So, I can go?"

His mother nodded. "But you can't touch anything in the temple itself, Hercules. Ares isn't all that fond of you, and he won't be pleased if anything happens."

Hercules scowled. He didn't want to get in trouble and he didn't want to get Ares mad at him, because of who he was. Not just his older brother, but the God Of War.

Xena brushed Alcmene's concern off. "Don't worry. Ares lets me do anything. 'On the 'dition that it doesn't hurt me'..." she repeated Ares' words to her from months ago.

"Okay, well, you had better be going."

Xena took Herc's hand and grinned. The two children waved goodbye to Alcmene as they disappeared in a flash of light.

*~*~*

They reappeared in Xena's room in the Halls Of War. It was her favorite room, and if they were confined there, then Xena wanted to be in her best room. Hercules looked around. "Cool!"

Xena grinned, she wanted to show off a bit, and since Hercules was her only human friend, he'd be the recipient. "What do you think?"

Hercules's gaze locked onto the king size bed at the other end of the room. "Can we jump on the bed?"

Xena frowned. "Why?" Sometimes, she really didn't understand mortals...

He shrugged. "It's fun. Mom never let's me jump on hers."

Xena considered it. "Well, okay. I still don't get it, though."

The two climbed up onto the bed and started jumping. Xena giggled. It _was_ fun...

...until Hercules fell off...

Xena stopped jumping and bit her lip. "Oh-oh..."

Herc shook his head a little. "I'm okay."

Xena sighed with relief. "Good. You're Mom would kill me if you got hurt." She looked around her room for something to do. She spied the mirror. "Let's play!" she ran over to the dressing table and picked up the small mirror.

The two of them sat on the bed as Xena made the mirror float in mid-air. "Hey, since I'm half-god, can I learn how to do that?"

Xena frowned. "I don't know. You'll have to ask Zeus. Anyway, watch the mirror..."

They both sat silently as an image appeared. They watched as Aphrodite, invisible to the general populous, started zapping mortals, throwing them together in the name of love.

"What's she doing?" Herc asked.

"I think she's making people fall in love with each other..." Xena told him. "Now, let's play a little game with Aunt 'Dite..." she giggled. The goddess pointed to the mirror, and the two kids watched as a pale violet light swirled around the loving couple. They pulled apart from their kiss and started doing some sort of dance in the middle of the market.

They saw Aphrodite's eyes go wide, as she turned her head left and right, trying to see who was interfering in her business.

Hercules and Xena fell back on the bed, giggling like the two mischievous children they were. They both froze, however, when Cupid appeared in the room, a stern look on his face. Xena tried her very best 'absolutely innocent and adorable' expression as she faced him.

"What do you think Mom's going to do when she finds out, Xe?" he asked as he sat down on the large bed next to his little friend.

"Sit me down and say that I'm adorable?" she tried.

He shook his head.

"Tell me that I'm too much like Ares?"

Cupid considered it, but still shook his head.

Xena's face fell. "Tell Ares that I messed up her life and cause irrevocable damage to her mental health, so she'd gonna have some ther'putical fun with his warlords?"

Cupid nodded.

"Oh-oh..."

Cupid chuckled. "Oh-oh is right, kiddo. Mom's gonna think that Ares' isn't bringing you up right..."

"Aunt 'Dite will get over it. I'm her favorite little chicka, remember? But Ares isn't gonna be happy, is he?" she asked.

"Dad's gonna be - " Cupid broke off.

Xena frowned in thought. "Does this mean that he won't marry me when I grow up?"

Cupid scoffed. "Where did you get that idea, kid?"

Hercules was interested in that one too. "Why would you want to marry him?"

Xena folded her arms and glared at the two males. "Ares is the bestest!" she noticed their dubious looks and stuck her chin out stubbornly. "You wouldn't understand! You're not girls."

"Xeeennnnaaaaa!!!!!!" came the roar from nearby.

The goddess' eyes went wide as she recognized Ares' voice. "Oh-oh..."

Even Cupid flinched at the loud bellow. Hercules cringed. "I don't think he's _ever_ going to stop being mad enough to marry you, Xena..."

The dark-haired goddess pouted...

The End


	10. Love Vs. Mischief

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Love Vs. Mischief

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Author: Alicia

Email: [LadyAngel@xena.com][1]

Rating: PG

Summary: Xena's in trouble with Ares and Aphrodite...

Disclaimer: There's no way in Tartarus that I own them, Baby!

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"Ares, you have to do something about that little terror!" a furious Aphrodite screamed.

Ares barely concealed the chuckle that escaped his lips. "Now, sis, she _is_ the Goddess Of Mischief, it's her job."

"Oh, come _on_ bro! She's the Goddess Of _Discord, _not Mischief, and if you don't stop her from coming after my domain and becoming too much like your dead twin, Dis, then I'm gonna have Zeus hand her over to someone else to raise!" Aphrodite let out in frustration.

With restrained rage and concern, Ares disappeared and transported himself to the temple, if only to talk some sense into Xena.

Unfortunately, his concern didn't outweigh his rage...

*~*~*

"_Xena!!!!_"

The dark-haired goddess gulped as she looked at her friends, Cupid and Hercules. She'd never heard Ares take that tone of voice with her, but he'd heard the same tone a couple of years ago, when he'd nearly blasted that nasty priestess for slapping her.

She demurely sat herself down on the edge of her bed, applying her 'puppy dog' look while she waited...

Cupid groaned and stepped back as his father thundered into the bedchamber. Hercules stood in front of Xena, wanting to protect his best friend from his half-brother's wrath.

With a wave of his hand, Ares sent his tiresome brother back home, just as his mother arrived. Hercules looked around, realizing where he was... "Hey!"

Back at the temple, Ares was glaring at his adorable charge, but not even her stunning eyes could erase the fear of losing her, from the God Of War's heart. A chair appeared in front of Xena. Cupid watched curiously as his father sat down and cupped Xena's chin, gently forcing her gaze to his own.

"You, young lady, are in a heap of trouble, and if we don't get you out of it, we're both dead..." he murmured to the young goddess.

Xena sniffled pitifully. Even though she hoped to get out of being punished, Xena realized just how much trouble she'd caused. Normally, Ares wouldn't care if she'd messed with another god's powers, but he seemed genuinely serious about what he was saying. Even in her preteen state, she knew to listen carefully and take heed of everything he said.

"We've got a problem kiddo. Aphrodite wants to take you away from me, because of what you did today...she doesn't want you to end up like my twin sister." The god frowned as he remembered his twin.

Xena concentrated hard, but as much as she tried, she couldn't recall ever hearing of, or meeting, Ares' twin sister. "Who?"

Ares sighed. He really didn't like discussing Discord, not even with Xena, not yet...

Cupid took a deep breath as he noticed his father's reaction. "Aunt Discord had your mantle, kid, Goddess Of Discord. We always called her that because it suited her. She was the pure embodiment of the title. The only problem was that she always went too far, and that's why Dad prefers to call you the Goddess Of Mischief. You're nothing like her."

Tears shimmered in Xena's eyes once more, this time with absolute sadness. She turned to Ares, "You don't think I'm good enough to be the Goddess Of Discord?" She sniffled again and wiped her eyes. "Aphrodite probably didn't even suggest taking me away, you probably thought of it all by yourself!" she accused in anger and despair.

Neither Xena or Ares noticed Cupid leave the room in a shower of bright beams...

*~*~*

"Mother!" bellowed the furious God Of Love.

"What do you want, Cupie? I know that you've been with that little troublemaker, Xena..." she flung at him.

Cupid glared at his mother. "When did she become a troublemaker, Mom? Is it just because she fooled around with a few of your matches? I've got to tell you that I'm more than disappointed, Mom, you've really got that poor girl going."

Aphrodite tightened her jaw. She couldn't help having a quick temper. "I guess the little tyke _is_ supposed to do that kind of thing, and at least we can be grateful that she's _nowhere_ near as bad as the original Discord..." Aphrodite shuddered at the thought.

Cupid regarded his mother sadly. "You should have thought of that before telling Dad that you wanted to take Xena away from him..."

The Goddess Of Love groaned at the premature and unreasonable statement she'd put to Ares. "What happened?" she asked, suddenly concerned. Aphrodite knew how much Ares loved the little munchkin, even though she could be a little brat, or maybe in spite of it...

"Take a look for yourself, Mom," Cupid said, indicating to the mirror to their left. The couple stared into the mirror as an image formed. Xena was crying hysterically at Ares, who was, unsuccessfully, trying to comfort the girl.

"Don't touch me!" Xena cried as Ares tried to hold her close. She brought her hand up and blasted Ares with a ball of energy, sending him flying across the room. She flung herself onto her bed and continued to cry, murmuring to herself that nobody loved or wanted her, as Ares slowly got up and watched her from the door to the bedchamber, the look on his face pleading the ignorant goddess to understand...

Aphrodite gasped as she fully understood what she'd done. One careless statement had caused a rift so great between the closest god and goddess on Mt Olympus. "And I call myself the Goddess of Love," Aphrodite wailed into a handkerchief.

She disappeared in her trademark flower petals...

*~*~*

By the time Aphrodite worked up enough courage to face Xena, she was sound asleep, tear stains trailing down her cheeks. A furious Ares appeared in Xena's bedchamber, shortly after 'Dite did. "Get out!" He kept his voice low, but still threatening. "Haven't you done enough?!?!"

The goddess bit her lip. "I came to apologize. I didn't mean any of this to happen. I was just blowing off a little steam, bro, can't you understand that?"

Ares' jaw clenched painfully. "Oh, I understand all right, but that doesn't change anything, sis. Xena's mad as Tartarus, and I think that facing either of us right now would send her over the edge."

"Go 'way!" came the indignant cry.

Aphrodite rushed to Xena's side. "Oh, I'm so sorry, munchkin! I didn't mean it! And don't worry about my bro, he still loves you, I should know, I _am_ the Goddess Of Love," she reasoned.

Xena flinched as Aphrodite laid her hand on Xena's shoulder. "I don't care."

This wasn't going well. "How about I take you shopping?" Aphrodite suggested.

Xena looked mildly interested, then shook her head.

The Goddess Of Love tried again. "How about we go shopping in the future, about a couple of thousand years?"

Xena once again considered the offer. "Is Ares going?"

The God Of War was unsure how to answer. "Umm, probably. I might go..."

Xena didn't react. "Can Hercules come too?"

Aphrodite glanced at Ares stony expression. The god reluctantly nodded. "Sure," Aphrodite agreed after receiving her brother's assent.

"Okay," came the quiet murmur as Xena closed her eyes and went back to sleep...

The End

   [1]: mailto:LadyAngel@xena.com



	11. Future Shopping

****

Future Shopping

* * *

Author: Alicia

Email: [LadyAngel@xena.com][1]

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: There's no way in Tartarus that I own them, Baby!

* * *

"Sweetie, I think that Ares only agreed because you wouldn't talk to him..." Aphrodite told Xena apologetically.

She pouted. "You promised!"

Aphrodite sighed. "I know, munchkin, but Ares really doesn't like our little bro, so you'll have to talk to him about taking him with us."

"_Ares!!!!!_"

With a huff, the God Of War appeared before the spoiled goddess. "What is it, princess?"

"Why won't you let Hercules come with us?!? He's my best friend!" she frowned at Ares.

Ares imitated her look. "I thought _I_ was your best friend."

Xena stubbornly shook her head and glared at him. "You're mean to me!"

"I am _not!_" Ares shouted.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

A shrill whistle pierced the air. The arguing couple stopped and glared at Cupid. "All right, quit it, the both of you!"

Xena pointed her finger at Ares. "He started it!"

Ares glared at his miniature goddess. "I did _not! _You started it!"

Xena opened her mouth to argue, when Aphrodite put her hand over the child's lips and smiled at her son. "Let's just get Herc and go, before we have brawling gods on our hands..."

Cupid nodded as Ares grumbled. Xena pulled free of Aphrodite and grinned. "Yay!!!"

*~*~*

Xena and Hercules walked around bug-eyed, as they discovered each new thing. The future was so different from what they knew. They were at a place called the Hyperdome, in a country called Australia. Apparently, they were far away from Greece. The two children hadn't realized that there even was anything outside of Greece, especially Xena, whose sheltered godly immortality was changed.

Aphrodite held Hercules' hand, as both Cupid and Ares held one of Xena's dainty hands. Suddenly, Xena noticed something in one of the store windows. It was a large stuffed teddy bear that was twice her size, and being the spoilt child that she was, Xena wanted it.

Xena broke away from her friends and bolted into the store. Hercules, not wanting to be left behind with the adults, quickly followed. All three gods called them back, but to no avail. Xena and Hercules were gone...

*~*~*

The three gods had been searching for the two delinquent children for two hours.

Aphrodite let out an exasperated breath. "I can't believe those little brats! I give them a nice little trip, and what do they do? They run away!"

Ares tried not to laugh. His little chicka was a handful, all right... They gotten glimpses of the two kids over the last two hours, but even Ares had had fun. Each time that he'd spot Xena, she'd disappear, taking his half-brother with her.

Things had changed for Ares in the last day or so. He'd seen how his brother interacted with his charge, and even the God of War had to admit that Hercules wasn't as bad as he'd thought, and he was better than their father, so that was a plus.

Cupid, however, wasn't faring as well, or even paying the slightest bit of attention to his parents. His gaze was trained on a stunning blond who appeared to be window shopping.

Ares, noticed. He leaned over and whispered to his son, "Go and have some fun with the blond, Cupid, she looks like she's in need of a good time..."

Cupid grinned at his father, thinking the same thing. He could see the sadness radiating from her. His wings not apparent, he approached the girl and started the conversation...

"Ares!" Aphrodite whined. "I'm all for my son and the love game, but we have two little munchkins to find!"

The God of War chuckled. "In case you've forgotten, Aph, Xena's a goddess and she'll find us when she wants to go home, otherwise, we won't be able to find either of them..."

Aphrodite sighed...then she spotted a gorgeous tall, dark and handsome...

Ares faded into the background and went looking for a sample of future weapons, maybe he could just start a little war to pass the time...

The End

   [1]: mailto:LadyAngel@xena.com



	12. The Goddess of Mischief

The Goddess of Mischief

Rating: PG

Timeline: Xena's about eight years old...

Summary: Ares takes Xena out for some fun with the mortals...

Disclaimer: There's no way in Tartarus that I own them, Baby!

Note: Sorry that this has taken so long to post...Ü

"I'm bored, Ares..."

Ares turned away from his warlords, to where only he could see the miniature goddess sitting on his throne as if she owned it. "Give me a minute to deal with this lot, then we'll go somewhere interesting."

The three warlords that were listening to Ares, regarded him strangely. "Who are you talking to, my Lord?"

Ares turned back to his men. "A friend." He handed over the plans for attacking Athens. "Now go, take down Athena's temple, then report back to me..."

The three men bowed, then quickly left.

The God Of War turned back to his charge and smiled. "What's the matter, sweet, couldn't find your little buddy to play with?"

Xena scowled. Herc had been too busy for her lately. He had a new best friend, Iolaus. "I don't like him anymore..."

Ares barely repressed the grin that was threatening to overtake his features. He'd been waiting for his little brother to stuff up. Xena wasn't the forgiving type...

"Come on, then." The god held his hand out to her. Xena grabbed onto it with an excited squeal. The couple quickly disappeared in a flash.

*~*~*

Ever since their little shopping escapades, Ares had become more tolerant of his half-mortal brother, but there were times when Xena had more fun with Hercules, or when Ares was too busy to go and have some fun with Xena.

The God of War had never believed that he'd ever be too busy to go and play with Xena...It hadn't been until Cupid had pointed out to him just how long it had been since Ares had ventured out with Xena, that he'd realized that he'd been neglecting the young goddess.

Ares had told himself that the next time Xena asked, he'd drop what he was doing and just take her out for a little fun with the mortals...

*~*~*

"So, what are we going to do, Ares?" Xena looked up at him with her bright, blue eyes. The god couldn't understand how he could have ever thought that war was more important than his little goddess.

"I thought that maybe we could play a few jokes on the mortals...what do you say? Do we ask Cupid and 'Dite to join us?" 

Xena frowned, then shook her head. "Nope! Just us...Can we start with Hercules and his new 'friend'? I don't like him anymore..." Her lower lip began to tremble pathetically.

Ares chuckled and lifted her up into his comforting embrace. "Don't worry, sweet. When we get through with Hercules, he'll be begging you to be his friend again..."

The goddess giggled as Ares began tickling her. "Stop it!"

Ares did as he had been commanded. "And we're off..." he murmured as they disappeared into the aether...

*~*~*

Hercules and Iolaus were walking through the market place in Corinth, not far from their own houses.

"Hey, Herc! I heard that there's a Hydra a few provinces away! I wanna go see," Iolaus told his new best friend enthusiastically.

Hercules agreed. "That'd be pretty cool. How about we get Jason as well?"

It was then that Ares and Xena appeared behind them, unseen. Hercules, being the demigod that he was, felt the sudden shift, but didn't realize what it was.

"Ares! He's going after Snuggles!" Xena cried out.

Ares cringed at the name of her favorite pet, but was still furious. "Don't worry, he won't hurt her."

The godly duo left as quickly as they came...

*~*~*

Ares and Xena arrived at Snuggles' cave long before Hercules, Iolaus and Jason did. The God of War just stood by the wall of the cave as Xena got up onto the Hydra's back and started whispering in its ear.

For the life of him, he couldn't begin to understand Xena's reasoning for calling the monster 'Snuggles'. When Hera had first gifted Xena with the large reptilian creature, the Goddess of Discord had approached the baby Hydra and had given it a hug, not realizing that the tiny monster would one day grow into a ferocious beast. The goddess had only been five or so at the time, but in the four or so years that had passed, Xena hadn't gotten any less attached to it.

"Sweet, why don't we just zap the Hydra out of here and back to the Halls of War?" Ares 'suggested'.

Xena stopped whispering to the Hydra long enough to look up and shake her head. "Snuggles wants to play!"

Ares shook his head. He couldn't sworn that the damn beast had smirk. He shrugged off the thought just as he felt his brother's presence just down the path. "Hey, Sweets, baby bro is here..."

The two immortals made themselves visible to the Hydra. Snuggles laid down on the floor of the cave, not making a sound, as if lethargic, pretending to not be interested in the three mortals that were now entering it's humble abode...

*~*~*

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this, Iolaus," Hercules murmured, a little wary of the lack of noise.

"Hey! You didn't need much convincing, buddy. You're the one who said to bring Jason along..." Iolaus protested.

Jason chuckled nervously. "You're both big wusses. Herc, you're half-god, you don't need to worry about a little bitty Hydra."

It was then that they came across the Hydra in question. "Or maybe, not so little..." Iolaus gulped.

"It doesn't look so tough!" Jason challenged. "I'll bet we could take it on and chop it up into itty bitty bite-sized pieces before it even gets up!"

The three boys charged the monster. Just as the boys got close, the supposedly despondent Hydra let out a small cough, releasing a small cloud of smoke from it's mouth. It took only a second to realize that the Hydra wasn't going to get up. Herc, Iolaus and Jason halted and slowly lowered their weapons.

"Do you think it has a chest infection or something?" Hercules asked, scratching his head lightly.

"Do Hydra's even get sick?" Iolaus wondered aloud.

Familiar laughter caught the trio unaware. Suddenly, the Hydra rose and let out a ferocious roar, followed by a breath of fire. It shocked and scared the boys, who dropped their weapons completely and ran out of the cave, not stopping until they reached the market place in Corinth.

*~*~*

"I have to admit, princess, that that little exercise was good fun!" Ares complimented between fits of laughter.

Xena giggled as she started patting the Hydra's rough skin. Ares silently admitted that his princess' pet wasn't half bad. He gave it a good scratch behind the ear and was rewarded with a playful swat on the behind from the Hydra's tail.

Only the Goddess of Mischief found it hilarious when it sent Ares flying across the cave...

The End


	13. Targets

Targets

Author: Alicia

Rating: PG

Summary: Priestess Ashta's resentment of the young goddess grows...

Disclaimer: There's no way in Tartarus that I own them, Baby!

Ares brought his fist down onto the table...hard. The small table trembled beneath his strength, but held firm as the other occupants of the room quaked in their leather boots. "Why can't you people do anything _right???_" the God of War bellowed.

Priestess Ashta set the tray of drinks she was holding down onto the now-still table. She watched in silence as her god sat furiously at the head of the table.

The four warlords got own on their knees and begged their god's mercy. "Lord Ares, it wasn't our fault! There was a - "

The eldest of the men got no further. A dog-sized Hydra ran into the room, followed by a tiny slip of a girl. _Xena_. The God of War had no patience for Snuggles' little brother at the moment, his inept warlords were enough of a task. Ares growled in warning. "Get that Hydra out of here!"

Ashta concealed her glee at the young goddess' fallen expression. The priestess had been on the receiving end of Ares' temper, having struck Xena when she first came to this Temple of Ares. As the years passed, Ashta watched Xena's movements with silent hatred. All her life, Ashta had wanted to become Ares' companion, but all of that had been forsaken within one day of her arrival at the temple. She wanted her revenge and maybe Ares was too angry at his charge to care if she got it...

Xena's bottom lip trembled at the sight of Ares glaring down at her from his seat at the head of the table. Never had she experienced that look of utter impatience and indifference. He'd always looked at her with love and understanding in his eyes. Without bothering to see if Boopy, her newest pet, had left, Xena ran out of the room and escaped to her bedchamber.

Ashta smiled with appoval and took the empty tray back to the kitchen.

*~*~*

Ares tried to ignore the scene that had passed and attempted to get back to the task at hand, but it wasn't easy. He hadn't meant to take his frustration out on his little Xena, but she and Boopy had interrupted an important meeting at the wrong time. More than anything, he wanted to go and find her to explain what had happened, but he had to deal with the four men who stood before him.

"What are you planning to do about the situation in Antala?" Ares demanded.

The youngest man, Peracles, bowed his head and spoke up. "My Lord, we had problems with - "

Ares broke in. "I _don't_ recall asking where you went wrong! _What_ do you plan on _doing_ about it???"

*~*~*

Ashta watched the little goddess, slumped on her large bed, Boopy at her feet, licking her skin. Xena sniffled as she patted the baby Hydra. "I'll make him sorry, Boopy...I'm gonna - "

Her one-way conversation was interrupted by the Priestess standing in the doorway. Ashta knew what was going through the young goddess' mind as she threw a few things in a small satchel bag. "Don't forget this..." she said, holding a breast dagger by its handle, between the tips of her fingers.

Xena didn't even think to question how the priestess had obtained it, since that particular dagger was supposed to be in Ares' bedchamber and no priest or priestess was allowed access to his private quarters. She stepped closer and went to grab the dagger, when Boopy bit into Xena's leather boot and held her back.

The goddess looked down at her newest friend and frowned. "What's the matter?" She didn't see Ashta come closer and move to stab her. Boopy abruptly let go of Xena's boot and let out a weak flamey breath. The bottom of Ashta's robes caught on fire and the priestess screamed. Xena screamed in reaction and jumped back from the flames. She was too shocked and scared to do anything.

The screams alerted the others and one of the priests ran to get Ares. By the time they all reached Xena's bedchamber, the flames had reached the rope belt that held the priestess' robe closed. Ares immediately put the fire out with a wave of his hand. He picked Xena up and held her close. "What's the matter, munchkin? Why didn't you put it out yourself?"

Xena buried her head in his shoulder. Ares rocked her and stroked her hair gently. She wrapped her arms securely around his neck. He watched as two of his priests helped the priestess to another room where they could treat her burns. As they moved her, his gaze zeroed in on the dagger laying on the floor. "What's that doing in here?" he asked.

He felt Xena's arms tighten around his neck. One of his priestesses picked it up. "Lord Ares, there's blood on the tip," she informed him. As he went to grab it, Boopy did the same thing to him as he'd done to Xena: he bit into Ares' leather boot and tried to pull him back.

"Don't touch that!" came the booming voice.

Everyone turned to the now-visible King of the Gods. Zeus waved his hand and the breast dagger disappeared. Ares frowned. "That was Xena's."

Zeus shook his head. "No, it wasn't. It belonged to Artemis. The dagger was stolen from one of her temples yesterday. The blade had been dipped in Hind's Blood, Ares. That priestess meant to kill Xena..." his voice drifted off as he disappeared.

Ares didn't ask any questions. He transported Xena and himself to where his priests were attending the burnt priestess. He sent a deadly glare her way and waved his hand. Both she and her brother disappeared. He didn't bother to explain what he was doing. It was time he took charge of his temples.

"We're going to Mt. Olympus for a while, Sweet," he whispered to the goddess he continued to hold in his embrace. She whimpered her assent. Ares transported them to his chambers on Olympus and put her to bed, she'd had enough to deal with that day. As an afterthought, he transported Boopy to Olympus as well and told him to watch over Xena. The baby Hydra jumped up onto the bed and planted itself next to Xena, resting its head on her legs and promptly fell asleep.

Ares' mirror appeared before him. He focused on something and the image appeared. He watched without emotion as Ashta and Arcon were stoned to death by a village of his worshippers...

The End


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